The Storm After The Quiet
by MakeMeLoseControl
Summary: A night out for Nick and Warrick turns to chaos when a pub brawl gets out of control. Now, having killed a man and gone against everything they work for, the boys struggle to stay on track. Murder, crime and guilt. And that's only the beginning. Chap 3 up
1. Chapter 1

_**The Storm After The Quiet - MakeMeLoseControl**_

_**A/N:** Used to be Quiet Before the Storm but I'm sure you wont be able to see the difference._ : D

_**Disclaimer:** If you know it, I don't own it._

_**Enjoy and thanks in advance for reading.**_

* * *

_For just a moment, everything was silent. It seemed almost as if the world itself had stopped on its axis. The chill of the early morning air hung over the city, still and silent. The sky, a mixture of dark iron grey and dull orange, seemed like a frozen backdrop behind the high desert hills and the noiseless, white moon._

_For that instant in time, there was not a breeze. Not a sound. The earth was at rest. And all was deathly still._

_For just a moment…_

_---_

_And then it ended._

_The quiet before the storm._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Earlier…**

"Where are we?" Nick asked as he looked out of the passenger side window of Warrick's Tahoe. It was almost 11p.m. and after finishing a relatively easy case at the lab, the two were off for the rest of the night. They had decided to take advantage of this rare occurrence by going out together, something they hadn't done for a long time. Too long in both of their opinions. Nick had kindly let Warrick choose the location but it was obvious from the lack of enthusiasm in his voice that he regretted that decision.

After driving for almost an hour, further and further from the strip, Warrick was now taking them down an empty road in the middle of the desert. The weird thing was, although they were well off the beaten track, he still seemed to know entirely where he was going.

Nick knew that he probably had no idea where he had taken them. He was probably lost and too embarrassed to say anything. But that was what he had always loved about his best friend. His ability to hide his feelings. In almost every situation, Warrick was able to maintain his cool exterior. Stay calm and rational. Nick could never do that. His feelings always got the best of him and it was too hard for him to keep them all in.

Warrick smiled slyly and took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at his partner. "You'll see." He said simply, knowing how much Nick hated being kept in suspense.

_Oh great, _Nick thought, _he _is _lost. _He chuckled slightly at the thought and shook his head, turning to look out the window again.

"What?" Warrick frowned, not taking his eyes off the road. "What's so funny?"

Nick turned in his chair to face Warrick. "Admit it man," he said, trying to hold back his laughter. "We're lost." He smiled widely, showing all his teeth.

Warrick smiled too but didn't look at Nick. Instead he scanned the area outside the car and, after a few seconds of looking back and forth, slowed the car and made a sudden turn down a road that Nick hadn't even noticed. It was a long, dark narrow road and, from where they were, neither Nick nor Warrick could see to the end of it.

The surrounding trees blocked out the moonlight and had made the car so dark that Nick could hardly make Warrick out in the shadows. They travelled up the road in silence for a while before Warrick turned at last to face his partner. "We're not lost." He finally replied.

Nick was about to answer back when suddenly Warrick's face and the whole interior of the car lit up with the glow of flashing neon lights making him jump. "We're here."

Nick looked out his window again, searching for the source of the light. What he saw was completely unexpected. There was what appeared to be a bar, right there in front of them. There, in the middle of the desert, in this random secluded area that Nick didn't even know existed, there was a bar. He looked back at Warrick for some kind of explanation but all he got was a smug smile in return.

Warrick parked his car where there were quite a few others parked side by side. He started to reach for the door handle to get out but Nick stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Warrick," he said looking, not at his friend, but out the window at the club. "Where the hell are we?"

"The middle of no-where." Warrick told him, one side of his mouth twisting upward to form a goofy half-grin.

Nick looked at his friend bemusedly. "Yeah, I realised that, but _where_ in the middle of no-where?"

Warrick's half-grin grew to form a full one. He removed his hand from the car door handle and lifted it to point at one of the bars glowing signs. It was right above the door and was obviously the name of the bar. It read; 'The Middle Of No-Where'. Nick read it and smiled in realisation, then released the grip on his partners arm and allowed him to get out.

The second Warrick opened the door to get out, the car was filled with the thump of the base of a song playing inside and silenced the second he shut the door behind him. Nick wondered how on earth his friend knew about this obscure place and then got out the car himself.

Once again, his ears were met with the thumping base which got louder and more prominent the closer they got to the bar. The man at the entrance gave Warrick a nod, recognising him from previous visits, as the two passed through the door.

The first thing Nick noticed as he entered the Middle of No Where was how comfortable Warrick was in it as if he had been there multiple times before. A few paces ahead of Nick, Warrick turned around and asked; "Whad'ya think?"

Nick looked around, considering what to say. Beside its location, the place was nothing special. The bar, surrounded by padded steel barstools, stood in front of a huge window which stretched over the whole wall and looked out into pure desert. The music, played by a live performer was lively and loud and enjoyable. Although the bar was not extraordinary, there was an atmosphere that seemed promising and Warrick seemed to be quite proud of it. He'd brought his friend here because he wanted to impress him and give him a good time. So Nick looked at his friend and smiled.

"It's great." He had to raise his voice to be heard over the music. "But isn't it a bit much? I mean, what's the occasion?"

Warrick thought for a while before replying. "Do we need a reason?"

Satisfied with Warrick's answer, the two continued further in. Warrick took a seat at the bar and Nick followed, sitting on the stool beside him.

---

It wasn't long until they were engaged in deep conversation, enjoying each others company and having a great time. They both realised how much they missed going out like this. Just the two of them, doing what friends do. Talking and joking, making fun of each other and sharing news.

---

"I'm tellin' ya man," Warrick laughed, taking a swig of his non-alcoholic drink. "She was checking me out!"

"Nah, Rick. That girl only had eyes for me and you know it. You'll have to accept the fact that when I'm around you're invisible." Nick replied with mock pity. His eyes glistened with a playful energy that hadn't been in them for quite a while. "Ladies can only see me."

"Yeah," Warrick grinned. "She saw you. Then she caught a glimpse of tall, handsome me and _you _became invisible."

Nick chuckled and sipped his drink. Their mindless argument had been going on for almost five minutes and showed no signs of stopping. They were kidding themselves. Both of them knew that the woman in question hadn't looked at either of them. In fact, she seemed to be quite happy with the man she was already with.

Nick opened his mouth again, about to retort, when he stopped and frowned focusing on something behind Warrick. Curious about what his friend was looking at, Warrick turned around to see. Sitting further along the bar was young couple and between them and Nick and Warrick was a middle-aged man with a red, angry face raising the back of his hand to a female bartender threateningly, shouting in an incoherent drunken slur.

She backed away, looking quite frightened as the man continued to yell and swing his arms around, knocking over a few drinks and causing a lot of fuss. Warrick and Nick sat watching and wondering whether to intervene. They were still contemplating when the man suddenly grabbed the nearest beer mug and smashed it on the bar, sending shattered glass flying everywhere and swinging the sharp remains carelessly in the bartenders direction. She yelped and pressed herself against the window behind her as far away from the man- who was now leaning over the bar lunging at her with the broken glass- as she could.

Instinctively, Nick and Warrick snapped into action. There was no question. This man was a danger to everyone in the bar and, since no-one else seemed to want to do anything to stop him, it was up to the CSI's to help. The bouncer had chosen the perfect time to completely disappear as well as the rest of the staff.

Without hesitation, Warrick yelled; "Hey!" as he and Nick rose from their stools. The man was about 6'2'' with a huge bulky figure that, although it seemed to be mostly fat, appeared to give him an advantage. He turned quickly, stumbling after too much alcohol, to send the CSI's a menacing stare.

"Leave her alone." Nick said to him, although there was no-one to leave alone. The bartender had made a swift exit the second the mans attention had been drawn away from her.

The man grunted and threw down the broken glass in his hands. For a second, Nick and Warrick thought that they had succeeded in talking him down but the next thing they knew, the man was picking up a barstool. He had merely traded one weapon for another, more dangerous one.

He swung the legs of the stool in the direction of Nick and Warrick but the two dodged it easily, especially since the man was so drunk his depth-perception was way off. Nick shot Warrick a concerned glance wanting to know what to next. People, finally becoming aware of the situation, began to back out of harms way but made no attempt to help out in any way. Warrick looked back with an expression that said 'Got any ideas?'. Nick had no time to reply when the man lunged at them again, this time getting frighteningly close.

Warrick raised his hands in front of himself defensively. "Put the stool down man." He said calmly. "Put it down." He motioned his hands in a downward direction slowly. His tranquillity seemed to anger the man more as he swung the stool again, clipping Nick in the side- not hard enough to cause him serious damage but enough to make him gasp and hunch over with the pain. He could already imagine a hefty bruise forming in his middle as he clutched it protectively.

This proved to be the last straw for Warrick who was tired of the man's disruption of a perfect night. He reached out suddenly and grabbed the legs of the stool which jutted out in his direction. He used them to shove the stool backwards into the man's chest, sending him reeling backwards. Reaching for the bar to steady himself, the man cut his hand on the shattered glass he had created on the bar, his face reddening with rage.

He growled ferociously, exploding with anger and throwing the stool to the floor making it fall to pieces. He started to lash at both men randomly, in a way that only a drunk man would, throwing violent punches in every direction which both CSI's managed to dodge (though, not with ease). He clawed at everything he could, managing to scratch both Nick and Warrick a few times.

They were doing their best to defend themselves without attacking the man but it was becoming increasingly difficult. They knew that if they fought back and things turned nasty they could lose their jobs and so were doing their best not to but their opponent was only becoming more and more violent and vicious.

Without warning, he grabbed Warrick's arm, sending the glass shards that were implanted in his bloody palm piercing through Warrick's skin. Warrick winced and, having truly had enough of letting the drunk have the upper-hand, he swung a fist and hit him solidly on the jaw.

The man, only slightly fazed by this, released Warrick's arm but prepared to fight back. He was about to throw a punch when Nick quickly pushed him forcefully away from them. He stumbled backward and got his feet tangled in the stool he had thrown down earlier. Unable to maintain his balance, he toppled to the floor flailing his arms wildly and landing flat on his back with a hollow thud.

The bouncer, only _now _returning from wherever he had been, swiftly entered and dragged the drunken man, who was suddenly a lot quieter, from the bar leaving Nick and Warrick staring after him slightly rattled and both trembling faintly inside with both adrenaline and relief.

For a moment, they both stood completely still beside their heaving chests, unsure of what the hell had just happened. Then they looked at each other in a stunned, confused silence as people around them returned to their seats and continued to drink as if nothing had happened and the music carried on playing in the background. The young female bartender appeared again behind the bar as another bartended entered and began to sweep up the mess on the floor below their feet.

Nick reached out and touched her arm lightly to get her attention. "'Scuse me ma'am," he said as she looked up at him from her dustpan and brush. "Shouldn't you leave that?" She looked at him with a blank expression on her face. "For insurance." He continued. She stared at him a moment longer and then, without a word, she returned to sweeping as if she hadn't understood or cared about a word he had said.

Nick looked back at Warrick for an explanation but Warrick just shrugged as he settled back down in his stool.

"At least," Nick decided to try again. The bartender looked up again this time with a bemused and fed-up expression on her face. This put Nick off a little but he said what he wanted to say anyway. "At least for the police."

He finally got a reaction from the bartender but it wasn't what he had expected. She smirked and shook her head as if Nick had said something absurd. Then, realising he was serious, said to Nick;

"You must be new here." She took Nick's silence as a 'yes'. "Well, look hun, we get guys like that almost every night. In fact, the guy you just fought with- Dennis- he's one of our top trouble-makers. We take it all with a pinch of salt." She smiled at Nick, pitying him for his naivety. "Thanks for your concern though. 'S not often you meet a gentleman like you these days."

Behind him, Warrick cleared his throat loudly and the bartender smiled.

"And you of course, 'Rick." She added, grinning. "How you been honey?"

"You know," He said shrugging. "Usual. What about you, Suze? Keeping out of trouble?"

'Suze' smiled with fake innocence. "Wouldn't dream of doin' anythin' else." She looked at Nick and then back at Warrick. "You gonna introduce me to your friend?" She began to look Nick up and down, her lips twisting into a slight smile.

For the first time, Nick noticed how attractive she was. She had flawless tanned skin and wavy, shoulder length hair. Her lips were in a constant pout and she had a tiny piercing through her left nostril along with the jubilee of piercings up both her ears. Her amazing big brown shiny eyes were sincere but also showed something deeper, as if she had seen a lot in her life. Her short skirt showed off the tattoo of a butterfly on her inner thigh and there was another tattoo further down her leg at her angle of some kind of hieroglyphic-looking symbol.

Warrick looked wary, knowing that this woman was a bit too much for Nick to handle. "No." He grinned. "So you can stop looking at him like that."

Suzie rolled her eyes. "Fine." She huffed with defeat and returned to her sweeping, glancing up at Nick one last time to playfully blow him a kiss.

Warrick, seeing this, pouted and frowned with mock jealousy. Suzie noticed and chuckled. "Calm down, Ricky." She said gathering up the remains of the broken barstool. "You know you're the only man for me."

Warrick grinned with satisfaction and then turned to Nick and said; "Come on. Time to go." He grabbed his jacket off the back of his stool. Time had flown by and they both needed a lot of sleep to be ready for work later on.

Nick complied without hesitation. The night's events had worn him out and, although he had enjoyed it, he yearned for his bed. Adrenaline was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in.

They got up and walked to the door and, though they tried to hide it, they both took a quick look around outside to check if Dennis had waited for them out there. There was no-one around. They assured themselves that he had probably gone searching for someone else to take his pent-up, misdirected anger on. Then, they scolded themselves for being so paranoid.

As they exited the bar, they were met with the cool fresh air of an early morning in the middle of a Nevada desert. The sun was still far from rising so it was as dark as night.

They made their way to the car, finding quite hard to locate amongst the others with the only light source being the neon glow coming from the Middle of No-Where.

After minutes of searching, the found the car and began their long journey back home. They were silent for a while before Nick said;

"So how did you come to find that place?"

"Known it for years." Said Warrick simply as he turned out of the dark, narrow road that they had come in on.

"And Suzie," Nick continued. "You and her…?" He trailed off.

"No! No…. Just friends."

Nick raised an eyebrow, suspicious of his friends' hasty denial. Warrick didn't even have to take his eyes off the road to know what expression Nick had on his face. He chuckled slightly and said;

"Don't even…. We're just friends!"

"Very good friends." Nick added as he grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, and that's all." Warrick told him with a smile. "So don't start gettin' ideas in that little head of-…"

Warrick stopped and frowned, his eyes focused on the rear view mirror. "What's this fool doing?" He said more to himself than to Nick. Nick twisted round in his seat to look out of the rear window of the car and see what Warrick was talking about.

A car behind them, lights on full-blare, was driving dangerously close and swerving from side to side as if trying to over-take them but not going through with it.

Suddenly, it accelerated forward, crashing into the back of Warrick's Tahoe sending it jolting forward violently. Nick looked from Warrick back to the car behind them with shock as Warrick cursed furiously and slowed down. The other car also slowed down and Warrick started to pull over, angry about his car being damaged and already thinking about the cost of repairs.

"What are you doing?!" Nick hissed with urgency as Warrick stopped the car. The other car pulled up and stopped behind them.

"I'm getting this idiots details so he can pay for whatever damage he's done to my car!" Warrick replied as if it was obvious.

"But-"

But Warrick was in no mood for arguments. Not only had his car been damaged, but just when the night had started getting better, something had gone and ruined it again. All he had wanted was a nice night out with his best buddy. It was turning into a disaster. "You can stay in the car." He interrupted with frustration and, with no further discussion; he got out the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

He walked quickly, with balled fists to the rear of his car. The other driver, who was not visible behind their blinding headlights, hovered in the darkness seemingly too ashamed to be confronted. Warrick scowled sourly as he saw the extent of the damage to his precious Tahoe, the whole rear was considerably dented. He glared at the figure in the darkness who stood still beside their own vehicle which, to add to Warrick's frustration, seemed practically unharmed.

"Hey!" He called out. The figure in the darkness shuffled their feet slightly but did not reply or get any closer. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" He continued to shout as he took a step closer to the other car. There was once again no answer and this time the man in the shadows stood completely still.

"Are you listening to me?!" Warrick took another step forward, angered further by the lack of replies. This man had some nerve to crash into his car and then not say a word to explain why.

"I said…" Warrick began, stepping forward once more and flexing his long fingers before clenching them into fists. He could feel the anger bubbling up inside him and knew that he was close to losing his temper completely.

Then, he heard a sound that chilled him to the very core. All anger inside him was replaced by fear and shock. He stopped dead in his tracks, his pale green eyes widening to a size he had never thought possible. Every hair on his body stood up as a cold sweat leaked from his pores. His pulse was rushing, his thoughts were all over the place, and his heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his head.

It was at that very moment, when he heard that sound, that he knew. He knew that something big was going to happen that night. Something he would never forget. And it wasn't going to be good. He knew.

Everything around him- but the blinding headlights of the Ford that had hit his Tahoe- disappeared. It was just him, the stranger, the darkness, and that sound; echoing around his mind. Replaying over and over.

The click of a gun being prepared to be fired.

He heard it almost every day.

Never had it terrified him as much as it did now.

Frozen, knowing that any move he made could be his last, he simply watched as the figure in the darkness took one slow step after another out of the dark and into the light.

He found himself worrying about Nick who was still in the car, wondering if- when this madman was finished with him- he'd go after Nick too. He hoped to God not. But surely Nick would hear the gunshot and be smart enough to get his gun out. Surely.

Hopefully.

The first thing that came into view confirmed Warrick's greatest fear. There was a gun pointed at him. He could now see the barrel aimed straight towards him. Another step forward and most of the gunman's outstretched arm was revealed. Another and half of his body poked out of the shadows. One final step and his whole body was finally revealed- and, although half silhouetted, easily recognisable.

It was when he saw the face, it dawned on him. Warrick wondered why he hadn't realised it before. It was obvious now. The figure from the darkness was none other that Dennis from the bar.

Back with a vengeance. And here to finish what he'd started.

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Nick frowned at Warrick's retreating back then turned in his seat to look out of the windscreen. Straight ahead into the open road. He understood why Warrick was angry. Why he had snapped. He knew he was just trying to make their one night out together special. He appreciated that. He would have gotten out the car himself if his ribs weren't hurting as much as they were since Dennis hit him with the stool.

Nick smiled slightly when he heard Warrick yell; _'What the hell is wrong with you!?' _and shook his head, feeling sorry for whoever was on the receiving end. It was safe to say, Warrick had definitely lost his cool. The other driver was in for it now.

'_Are you listening to me!?' _He heard his partner shout. He felt like getting out of the car and telling Warrick to leave it. Calm down. He was tired and wanted to go home. But he decided against it, knowing that he would only anger Warrick more.

'_I said…'_

Nick could have sworn he could _feel _the anger emanating from Warrick and seeping through the cracks in his broken car. Nick prepared to hear what was going on but there was nothing. Silence. And the anger he had felt in the atmosphere was gone.

He frowned and tilted his head to the side, straining to hear anything, but there was only silence. This seemed to go on for minutes. Nick grew more and more confused.

He thought it very strange for Warrick to stop so suddenly mid-rant and pursed his lips in deep thought, trying to imagine an explanation for it. When he couldn't think of one, he decided to get out and see for himself.

An inkling deep within him told he to stay in the car and wait until Warrick came back, but curiosity got the better of him and he stepped out into the night.

Walking around the car, he noticed Warrick standing stock still as if frozen. Confused, he looked into his friends wide eyes and followed their line of vision. He couldn't help but let out a short and quiet gasp at what he saw.

Dennis. With a gun. Pointed right at his friend.

Neither Dennis nor Warrick seemed to have noticed Nick get out the car although his presence was quite obvious; he was stood mere metres from Warrick, only on the other side of the car. He did have the protection and camouflage of the darkness on his side though. They were clearly too absorbed in staring each other down.

Nick's mind was racing. He knew he was probably Warrick's only chance. Dennis was still drunk, which meant he was irritable, irrational, a loose canon. He could do anything. Nick knew he had to do something quick. Preferably before Dennis pulled the trigger on his friend.

He stepped briskly and quietly, careful to remain out of the light, towards the rear of Dennis' Ford.

After agonising seconds, he was now only a few metres behind Dennis. Hidden in the darkness, Warrick could not possibly see him but Nick could see Warrick. The panic in his eyes and the sweat on his brow. He could see it all. As hard as he was trying to hide it, Warrick was scared, and it was painted all over his face. _Some gambler he must've been. _Nick thought to himself. Then he realised how inappropriate thoughts like that were and tried to focus on what he was going to do next.

He had no idea. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't have time to _do _anything. Dennis began to speak. His words heavily slurred.

"Where's ya friend?" He asked, tilting his head. Nick felt a shiver down his spine.

"I took him home." Warrick lied. "'S just me." Nick couldn't help but shake his head. It was just like Warrick. Always trying to protect him. Even when his life was in danger.

"You're LYING!" Dennis snapped. He knew it wasn't true. He had been following them ever since they had come out of the bar. He stamped his foot and tightened his grip on the gun. Nick noticed Warrick bite down on his bottom lip. His confident façade was slipping. Big time.

"I oughtta blow your head clean off for how you and ya dumb friend shamed me in that bar!" Dennis bit furiously. "'N fact…" He chuckled, swaying with drunkenness. "I'm_ gonna! _"

What happened next was a complete blur of chaos and confusion. Dennis had both hands on the gun. His finger was on the trigger. Warrick's eyes widened. It looked like this was it. Then suddenly, Nick called out from the shadows. Dennis spun around with surprise. His gun now pointed at Nick. The sun, now rising, he had no more shadow to hide in. Warrick took his only chance and sprung on Dennis with all his strength. They struggled. Now, Dennis had only one hand on the gun. With the other he tried to fight Warrick off him. Nick grabbed the gun with both hands as he tried to wrestle it away from Dennis' tight grip. With the hand that wasn't wrapped around Dennis' neck, Warrick also attempted to pull the gun away. His main aim was to get his finger away from the trigger.

All three men were crowded around the gun, the barrel swinging dangerously and pointing at each of them. All three men had their fingers on the trigger. All three men felt the trigger give way under the force.

Only one man felt the fierce pain of a bullet piercing through their flesh.

Only two men heard the echoes of the gunshot ricochet through the endless Nevada desert.

The third was too close to death to notice.

For just a moment, everything was silent. It seemed almost as if the world itself had stopped on its axis. The chill of the early morning air hung over the city, still and silent. The sky, a mixture of dark iron grey and dull orange, seemed like a frozen backdrop behind the high desert hills and the noiseless, white moon.

For that instant in time, there was not a breeze. Not a sound. The earth was at rest. And all was deathly still.

For just a moment…

**End of Chap 1. **

**None of the other chaps will be anywhere near this long. This is just the intro...**

**Hope ya'll enjoyed! Tell me what I can improve or what you liked. **

_**Cyber-Kisses XX**_

_**XxMMLCxX**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Storm After The Quiet - MakeMeLoseControl**_

_**A/N:** Chap 2... The plot thickens..._

_**Disclaimer:** If you know it, I don't own it._

_**Enjoy and thanks in advance for reading.**_

* * *

_The storm after the quiet._

Eyes wide with shock and pain he staggered backwards. His breathing was quick and desperate as he tried to cling on to life. His legs gave out under him and he felt himself collapse to the floor. He stayed conscious long enough to hear the clatter of the gun drop to the floor and feel the blood rapidly draining from his body. Then, he gave in to the agony and let unconsciousness consume him.

---

He backed away. Away from the blood and the stench of approaching death. He didn't want it to be real. But the blood, all that blood, made it so _very _real. It made it impossible to deny. He tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall and tried to keep breathing evenly but his heart was racing. This couldn't be happening.

---

His ears were ringing. The gun shot had been so loud. His mouth slowly fell open as the other man fell to the floor, blood pouring from his awful wound. His hands were trembling as he let the gun slip from them and fall to the ground beside the dying man. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the awful sight before him full of fear and panic, wishing to be anywhere but here.

------------------------------------------------------------

A fire of white hot pain tore through his chest knocking the wind right out of him. Thick warm blood began to spill from his wound. Unable to fight the dizziness that had overcome him, he collapsed to the floor onto his back. He tried to breathe but couldn't. It was as if he was drowning. Drowning on air. His chest felt as if it had an elephant sat on it and his head as if it was about to explode.

His vision was clouded but he could see above him the clear morning sky becoming shadowed with clouds. Distantly, behind the ringing of his ears, he could hear a deep voice shouting and a blurred face entered his vision. It was silhouetted against the sky behind it but he could make out the pale green eyes staring down at him.

Another jolt of agony soared through him as more pressure was applied to his chest. His vision now completely gone, he could only focus on the single voice shouting above him. It was becoming increasingly harder to breathe and knew this was it. He was going to die.

And he hated himself for being so stupid. For chasing after two strangers all worked up and with a gun. All they had done was defend a barmaid._ He_ was the one in the wrong. He hated himself for putting himself in that position and for being careless with a dangerous weapon. Especially under the influence of alcohol. It seemed all he did recently was drink. That was what his wife had told him. That he never seemed to be sober any more and how bad an influence he was to their children.

Well, he was sober now.

In his final moments before drifting in to death he wondered about the after life. He had never been religious or spiritual. He wasn't a Good Samaritan, he rarely thought of anyone but himself. If there was a heaven, he doubted he'd get into it. If there was a heaven. He wasn't even sure if he believed in heaven.

He wanted to. _Really _wanted to.

He took in one final laboured breath of air. And as he released it he whispered gently;

"Do you believe in heaven?"

He didn't expect a reply but he clung on to the last inch of life he had long enough to hear a distant voice answer.

"Yes."

And that was enough.

He let go.

Drifted into eternity.

------------------------------------------------------------

This couldn't be real. He'd heard the shot of a gun before. Plenty times. But this time it was different. This time he wasn't in the lab test firing a weapon. This time he had actually shot someone.

_Dennis fell to the floor._

Shock took over his whole body forbidding him to move of his own accord and forcing his legs to slowly back away. His only thought was to get as far as he could from the gun and the blood.

_Warrick dropped to his knees._

He could hardly register what was going on. His vision was clouded with tears. He vaguely saw Warrick fall to his knees beside Dennis but it seemed so far away. It was as if he had stepped out of his body and watching from a distance.

Warrick was shouting at him but his voice sounded distant. Nick willed himself to focus and make out what his friend was saying.

Ambulance?

Of course.

Nick was about to make a move; back to the car to get a phone and call an ambulance, when Dennis' head rolled limply to the side and his almost vacant eyes pierced Nicks own freezing him once again.

Warrick continued to shout but this time Nick barely heard it at all. His eyes locked with Dennis'. They were all he could see. The shouts in the background died down as Dennis squeezed his eyes shut. He turned his head away from Nick to Warrick and opened his mouth. Although he spoke in only a whisper Nick heard him clearly as if he had spoken right into his ear.

The 5 words he said; 'Do you believe in heaven' made Nicks blood run cold.

The final words of a complete stranger.

------------------------------------------------------------

He watched in horror as Dennis collapsed to the ground. Blood was spurting from his chest and drenching the floor beneath him. His trembling hands released the smoking gun and let it clatter to the floor.

Suddenly, his CSI instinct kicked in. He needed to stop the bleeding before Dennis bled out. He dropped unceremoniously to the floor beside the bleeding man raising both hands above the wound ready to apply pressure. He hesitated for a moment; not wanting to touch the awful liquid, then pressed his hands down as firmly as he could.

Now what?

There was only so long he could press the gaping hole in Dennis' chest before he bled out. He needed to call an ambulance but, obviously, his hands were full.

For the first time since he had emerged from the darkness, Warrick looked at Nick. He was paler than usual and was staring at Dennis as if in a daze. His eyes were wide and blood-shot and his skin was glistening with sweat. He was visibly shaking and breathing heavily.

Nick didn't respond the first time Warrick called him. In fact, Warrick didn't even think he had heard him. So he called out louder and louder until he finally drew Nicks gaze away from Dennis. He told Nick to call an ambulance and could see Nick was about to do just that when Dennis turned and looked straight at him. Nick froze again.

Warrick continued to shout but was unable to regain Nick's attention. He was considering getting up and getting a phone himself when he heard Dennis take a long and laboured breath. He looked down at him, noticing that he was trying to say something and leaned in to hear.

When Dennis asked him if he believed in heaven he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to give the man false hope or lie to him but it was clear the question he had asked would be his final words. He knew he couldn't keep Dennis waiting. He didn't have long. So he said the first thing that came in to his mind. The truth.

Yes, he said. He did believe in heaven. But after what he had done tonight, Warrick didn't think he would ever go there.

---

**A/N: **Ah! That was awful. I'm sorry. It'll get better honestly. I've just had the most terrible writers block and I felt I had to submit something. So that was it. I'm back in the groove now so it should get better. It might be a while 'til an update though. GCSE's and coursework and all that.

Thanks for reading!

_**Cyber-Kisses XX**_

_**XxMMLCxX**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Storm After The Quiet - MakeMeLoseControl**_

_**A/N:**__ Used to be Quiet Before the Storm but I'm sure you wont be able to see the difference._ : D

_**Disclaimer:**__ If you know it, I don't own it._

_**Enjoy and thanks in advance for reading. Thanks all reviewers. **_

* * *

Dark rain clouds darkened the sky. Although it wasn't yet, it was clear it was going to rain.

"What have we done?" Nick whispered after an eternity of silence. Warrick hadn't taken his eyes off Dennis since his demise as if if he stared hard enough he might catch a glimpse of life in him. He still didn't look up but answered Nicks rhetorical question.

"It was an accident." He said; his voice low. "An accident…" He repeated if only for his own benefit, to assure himself. "We…He had a gun." He looked at Nick now, gazed at him with denial and panic both evident in his eyes. "We… we couldn't just…." He trailed off, his gaze resting on his blood-drenched hands. He wiped them- with a look desperation- on his jeans, glanced at them and then continued to rub them as vigourously as before up and down his pant legs.

Nick watched him blankly as if not taking in anything Warrick had said. He was still trying to process what had just happened.

"We need to call the police." He stated as he started to make his way to the Tahoe to retrieve his phone.

"What!?" Warrick snapped holding out a hand to stop Nick half way. "No…"

"What do you mean 'no'?" Nick asked, genuinely puzzled. "We need to report-."

"Just wait." Warrick interrupted. "We need to think about this for a second."

"What's to think about, Warrick?!" Nick was becoming shocked at how his friend was acting. Calling the police was definitely the right thing to do. He and Warrick both knew that. They were both law abiding and worked with law enforcement. So why was it that Warrick was delaying their call to the police?

"Listen to me for a second, okay?" Warrick said. Nick nodded reluctantly with a frown on his face.

"You heard what Suzie said at the bar. Dennis is a regular there."

"So?" Nick interrupted.

"So what are the chances of a guy like that having a family?" Nick opened his mouth to answer but was cut off. "And just look in his car." Warrick continued nodding towards Dennis' car behind Nick. "You can see the guy practically lives in there."

"What are you getting at?" Nick asked.

There was a pause.

"Who's gonna miss him?" Warrick said, choosing his words carefully.

"Stop it…" Nick replied. This was spiralling out of control and turning into a nightmare. His best friend becoming a ruthless monster.

"Tell me," Warrick was close to shouting. He rose from his kneeling position beside Dennis as his eyes darted arourd crazily and then rested on Nick. "Who'll even notice he's gone? Huh!?"

"Stop it." Nick said again, this time with more force. Warrick was scaring him. What scared him more was that his friend did have a point. What Warrick was saying was true and Nick was starting to agree with it.

"Come on Nicky." Warrick said, quieter now. Calmer. "We're CSI's. We see this everyday We know what to do. We know the mistakes wee shouldn't make…"

"What if he has a family?" Nick thought aloud.

"They'll never find him. No-one will. We're in the middle of the desert."

"Why can't we just turn ourselves in?! It was self-defence."

"We'll go to jail. Do you know what they'll do to us in there…?" Warrick shuddered at the thought.

"It was self-defence!" Nick repeated.

"Do you think anyone will care? Do you think Ecklie will care? He's been trying to get rid of us since the day we started at the lab. I mean, sure, we may not go to jail but we'll definitely lose our jobs. I'll have to go back to the casinos! You, you might be able to cope. I mean, 'cos you have your parents but me… I've got nothing, Nick." He got closer to Nick, grabbed him by the shoulders and stared deep into his glistening eyes. "Without my job, I have nothing."

Nick shook Warrick off him and turned away, his back facing his friend. In his mind, a million possibilities were raging. He supposed they could get away with it. Warrick was right. They knew exactly what NOT to do. But it was wrong. It was against everything he believed in. And if they got caught….

"We couldn't." He whispered.

"We have to." Warrick told him. "I don't want to but-."

"Then let's not!" Nick spun around and looked at Warrick with desperation. "We can end this now. Turn ourselves in. We'll make a deal with Ecklie and he'll let us off. My parents can get us both good defence. We'll be-"

"SHH !" Warrick silenced him, holding up a finger. "Do you hear that?"

Nick was about to ask what when thunder rumbled and in the distance lightening lit up the sky. After a couple of seconds, a few raindrops began to fall.

"It's fate." Warrick said, almost smiling.

"What are you talking about?" His friend had lost it. He'd cracked or something. Nick had never seen him act this crazy before.

"Fate, Nick. Don't you see? The rain will wash away any evidence. We're in the clear. We can do this." He nodded eagerly and held his palms open to catch stray raindrops.

Nick looked from Warrick to Dennis to the cloud-filled sky and then closed his eyes, deep in thought. Once again, Warrick was right. The chances of Dennis being found out here in the middle of the desert were slim. The chances of anyone finding evidence on him after the heavy rainfall that seemed imminent were even slimmer.

After a short while he looked at Warrick and replied.

"Yeah, we can do this."

**A/N: **Another short one but I enjoyed writing this one so tell me what you think. There should be a lot more soon (I'm going to Vegas for a week which should be VERY different from boring London and could prove to be inspirational). Plus, (not that anyone cares but I'm really excited) I'm getting my braces off in 2 days! After over 2 years they'll finally be gone. Can't wait…

Anywayz. R'n'R. Or don't…. Whatever. (Although, I did try very hard to get this typed up ASAP)

_**Cyber-Kisses XX**_

_**XxMMLCxX**_


End file.
